"Hehe! Under my A-Level Talent, Stealth, mere guards of Apocalypse think they can stop me..."
"Today, I'm going to see exactly what secrets are hidden in the back mountain of Apocalypse!"
The three men had sinister expressions; they had been scouting Apocalypse for three days and hadn't found the so-called true leader at all.
Based on their inquiries over these three days, they were certain that no one in all of Apocalypse had ever seen the so-called true leader.
Everything in Apocalypse was managed by William, a Reincarnators with an S-Level Talent.
Now, as long as they confirmed whether the so-called SSS-Rank Hunter was in the back mountain of Apocalypse, the fate of Apocalypse would be entirely in their hands.
Once the news that Apocalypse had no SSS-Rank Hunter spread, Apocalypse would be quickly carved up by the truly top powers of America within a few days.
However, what these three didn't know was that their every move was under Fenrir's surveillance.
An A-Level Talent in Stealth was indeed powerful, but compared to an S-Level Talent, it was still a rank lower.
Furthermore, Fenrir's talent was Werewolf, making him even better at hunting and tracking.
Therefore, he had long since mastered their movements and was tracking them at William's request.
According to the intelligence William possessed, these three were members of an intelligence organization called Ravens Eye, specializing in espionage.
Most of the Reincarnators within it had monitoring or Stealth-type talents.
As long as the payment was sufficient, they could help you gather information on any faction.
"Three days have passed; the leader should have awakened by now."
A smile curled on Fenrir's lips; once the leader woke up, they could spread the news that Apocalypse had no SSS-Level Talent Hunter.
At that time, many factions would covet the wealth accumulated by Apocalypse and besiege it, and that would be the time to pull in the net... Inside the Cave, the dead silence was broken by a faint "crack" sound.
A crack suddenly appeared on the surface of that five-meter-tall dark-red Blood Cocoon.
Then came a second, a third... spiderweb-like cracks spread rapidly, covering the entire surface of the cocoon in an instant.
There was no expected explosion or energy eruption; instead, a massive, almost tyrannical suction force emanated from within the cocoon!
"Chiii—"
Countless energy blood threads forming the cocoon surged wildly toward the center of the cracks like a reverse waterfall, swallowed by the being inside!
The dark-red cocoon shriveled and became transparent at a visible rate, finally dissipating completely and turning into pure life energy, returning to its source without a drop left.
Lilith slowly opened her four vertical pupils.
A crimson light lit up in the darkness, cold and sharp, like four lit blood-colored lanterns.
She didn't move immediately but sensed the explosive power flowing through every inch of her muscles and bones.
She felt the Biological Armor, which was now thicker and more solid than before her slumber.
She propped up her forelimbs, preparing to stretch her long-dormant body.
However, the moment her body lifted off the rock surface, a strange, soft, and slightly warm sensation came from beneath her.
Lilith's movements froze.
Her four vertical pupils slowly moved downward and focused.
Beneath her belly, pressed against the warm scales and skin, lay two... eggs?
Each was about the size of an adult, and the shell was not calcareous but a translucent biological gel layer with dark-red vein-like patterns.
Through the shell, one could vaguely see the slowly wriggling silhouettes of the shadows inside.
Her body heat still lingered on the surface of the eggs, and she could even feel the faint pulse of life coming from within.
Time seemed to freeze.
Lilith's four eyes stared fixedly at the two eggs, her pupils slowly dilating from needle-like slits into almost perfect circles.
Her brain felt as if it had been struck hard by a heavy hammer; the human cognition of her past life and the Bat instincts of her current life collided violently.
Huh? Laying eggs?
Mammals? Viviparous? Mating?
A series of biological terms and common knowledge tumbled through her consciousness, only to be crushed into powder by the absurd reality before her.
She hadn't engaged in any form of mating; she had even gone to great lengths to avoid contact with any male creatures, and she had never sensed any life being nurtured within her body.
So, where did these things come from?!
A mixture of extreme absurdity, shame, indignation, and an indescribable sense of panic rushed from her spine all the way to the top of her skull.
Lilith could even feel the muscles beneath her scale-covered cheeks spasming involuntarily.
"No... impossible..."
Her voice was hoarse and tender, carrying a tremor she hadn't even noticed, and she hadn't yet realized that she was now able to speak.
Her memories of being male in her past life were incredibly vivid at this moment; that gender identity rooted deep in her soul formed a jarring disruption with the physiological fact of her laying eggs as a female.
Lilith suddenly raised a foreclaw, its sharp tip hovering over the eggs, trembling slightly.
Instinct and an indescribable violence screamed within her: Destroy them! Erase this mistake!
But the claw tip ultimately did not descend.
Another colder, more rational thought forced its way in.
The fact that she had laid eggs was now a reality; destruction would serve no purpose other than venting her emotions.
More importantly, she could feel a strange bond between her and the lives within those two eggs.
"Whew..."
Lilith took a deep breath, and the air currents within the cavern swirled accordingly.
She forced herself to calm down, and her four vertical pupils returned to cold needle-like slits.
Carefully, using the smoothest and flattest part of the back of her Wing Blade, she gently nudged the two eggs aside into a clean depression in the rock.
Her movements carried a near-comical caution, as if she were handling two unstable bombs.
Having done all this, Lilith finally stood up straight and walked toward the exit of the Cave.
With every step, subtle changes in her body provided feedback.
Thicker Bone Armor, smoother muscle coordination, and a more massive body.
Reaching the entrance of the Cave, sunlight poured down.
Lilith spread her wings; the silver-white Bone Armor and Wing Blade reflected a cold, hard luster in the sunlight.
Strange Red Energy Totems appeared all over her body; within these totems, indescribable horrors seemed to be sealed, making Lilith's massive body look even more eerie and terrifying.
With a thought from Lilith, the complex dark-Red Energy Totems on her body's surface slowly dimmed and contracted as if they were alive, finally vanishing completely beneath the armor plates, leaving only the silver-white Exoskeleton.
It was time to check the specific results of this evolution, and to find out exactly what was going on with those two eggs.
Her consciousness sank deep, and a faint blue light screen expanded before her eyes...